[ It would be an outrageous lie to say that he isn't afraid of Bondrewd. Even just seeing the lash of that tail has his nerves bristling as he recalls the stunning impact of getting flattened against a wall by that appendage; he knows for a fact that that blow would have killed him instantaneously if he were still a normal human and not a Shardbearer. But even so -- even as his canine ears cant back, his posture held tense and low -- Gen stands his ground as Bondrewd approaches. Whatever nuance might be seen in the changes in Bondrewd's movements and demeanor go unnoticed, given his entire focus is simply on maintaining that brave front. ]
I'm not emotionally impacted. [ He lies, each word spat out at a disdainful snarl to better mask the fact that he is, indeed, (unreasonably) emotionally impacted. ] And I ain't answering your stupid survey question.
[ As if he could even put into words how he feels about Link. He knows whatever feelings he has for that little Meridian twink are entirely unreasonable and tainted by how badly he'd been affected by something to do with Link's Discord, back at Xanadu. But even so -- those feelings, foolish as they are, are hard to entirely dismiss. And he doesn't want to think about it.
If Link's shard is with Aetos, then he's already too late. Would it have made a difference if he'd come here sooner? Or was it too late the moment he let himself get knocked out during that fight? Did Bondrewd immediately whisk the shard away, to god-knows-where? It's a deeply frustrating line of thought, and Gen gives a hard click of the tongue before turning his ire to Bondrewd. ]
-- that wasn't how you said it'd be.
[ Sharp and accusatory. He's never forgotten the distant goal Bondrewd had enticed him with, after all. ]
You said all that shit about giving Meridians a form that'd help'em survive no matter what. So what the hell was that? Have you just been bullshitting me this whole time? Give me one good reason why I should still believe in anything you say!
[ Gen's question is fair, and his accusation rolls across Bondrewd's shoulders without striking at any vulnerable spot within him. He cannot be enticed to ire or hostility, and instead looks upon the defensive cant of Gen's ears and the furrow between his brow with studious attention. He is affected, emotionally. There is enough within him that has been drawn to Link, and again, he is glad that the little Hylian has returned to bear witness to that which will save all Shard-bearers — their ability to care, beyond Faction. ]
I did not clarify how it was meant to be, Mister Minegishi. The expectation of experimentation is that we observe what comes of a controlled set-up and prepare according to the observed results. Knowing now that Discord results in such an outcome — one where the Shard-bearer fights their own 'self', means much more than one might think.
[ He explains it even-toned, his hands gesturing to a seat nearby, as if inviting Gen to sit down and make himself comfortable. As if their conversation is nothing more than a class, or a casual conversation. His tail thrashes, bumping briefly against the doorway as he heaves himself through and bends to begin picking up his scattered notes. ]
For instance, it is something we were not aware of. Now that we are, imagine the uses it could have for Zenith — to force our Discord into Meridians during Oracle battles and pressure them into returning to their own, disruptive and ruinous of their environments. While Meridian is busy dealing with the danger, we handle the challenge laid before us by the Oracle.
[ That's just practical. ]
As for the situation regarding Meridian forms for the Zenite future, we now know that Shard-bearers are placed in extreme distress at the heights of Discord. Ergo, we must develop a plan that keeps Meridian-aligned Shard-bearers from reaching such a height after our victory. They will clearly be pained and stressed, and likely their Discord will overwhelm them at their loss. Do you understand? We now know what it looks like, to both be without Meridian in our future and to not be attentive to their pain.
[ Gen ignores the suggestion that he make himself comfortable, not even deigning to give the offered seat a sideways glance. Remaining standing right where he is, shoulders squared and jaw clenched, he only glowers at Bondrewd in silence for a long moment. Which serves as enough of an answer on his own.
Bondrewd is right, for the most part. He has no good rebuke to give.
It's true that a weaponized injection of Discord really would make the fight for the Oracle's favor easy -- what resistance would Meridian be able to put up if they were all busy losing their minds to Discord, or distracted trying to deal with their uncontrollable allies? Or stressed from putting them out of their misery? ]
... it's not like that's gonna be easy. Forcing our Discord into them. [ So he says, but Gen's gaze is cast off to the side as he wracks his brains, trying to think of a better retort. -- Bondrewd must be the one who made Link like that in the first place, right? How easy had that been for him? This line of questioning probably won't accomplish anything. Though he isn't aware of it, Gen's canine ears slowly cant backwards as discomfort boils in his gut. ] And you say this shit like it's going to be easy -- stopping them from getting Discord.
[ It's telling, though, that Gen's words falter even as he tries to grit out that rebuke. And how can he help it? What Bondrewd says something reasonable. Weaponizing Discord against the Meridians would make for easier victories in the upcoming battles and ensue Zenith wins this war. And if Meridians -- his Meridians, the ones he cares about, because he couldn't give half a shit about the others -- could be immunized against an influx of Discord, then wouldn't that be ideal? That would keep them safe, right? He can't find any holes in what Bondrewd is saying.
Gen bites his lip, hard, before abruptly jerking forth a half-step, bootsole stomping loudly against the floor as he closes the distance between them by that small amount. Still trying to establish his position and retain some level of control over this situation, even when he knows he doesn't have much ground to stand. ]
-- you better not be thinking of some bullshit like just putting'em in a coma so they can't get stressed. [ He's seen how Bondrewd treats his guinea pigs. Gen is hardly a softie for some random rodents, but he's also not immune to the gut-churning thought of them being brutalized in the name of science. ] You said you're looking for a way to keep'em safe. I'm only cooperating with you so long as you remember that.
[ He asks of Gen, curious and interested in the young man's perspective.
Discord, to some, is karma. To others, it is the schism between needs and wants, choices for themselves that might betray the innate values of the Faction energies that empower and overwrite such things. Bondrewd does take a seat, in a way — leaning himself along the line of the wall with a tilt to his head that places the full of his attention upon Gen's person. He sounds angry, but not in a way that suggests pure hostility. It is why Bondrewd is able to reach out when Gen drives forward and closes the distance.
Why he can rest a heavy hand upon the young man's shoulder, distantly companionable. Understanding, even though he clearly lacks empathy of any kind — a known quality to many, by now. Once he has listened to Gen, he speaks again. ]
Meridian-aligned Shard-bearers will have difficulty coping with the loss of their world, and the creation of ours. They will take it personally, so it is our responsibility to ease their transition. We can do so in many ways. Transforming their forms to harmless ones, drugging them to make them compliant, placing them in a dreaming state to induce comfort and give them the time they need... anything to slowly introduce them to the way of things. We have powers, as well. Illusions and such.
[ Putting them in a coma is one of those options. ]
I believe they can be made to accept our victory, if we care for them. Perhaps letting them know that they can depend on us to forgive them is the first step to easing their turmoil?
[ Truth is -- he has no fucking clue what Discord is. Not that any of them have a definitive answer (to his knowledge), but Gen also doesn't bother thinking about that sort of ... magic bullshit. It's none of his business, he knows he's more of a musclehead than a scholar, and he only understands all the supernatural nonsense he has to interact with on the most surface level; someone like him's not meant to understand any of this shit.
But now, he tries, and the way he struggles to wrap his head around the matter well enough to put up a good argument.
This ... feels too neat, after all. The way Bondrewd puts it, it all feels too neat and clean. Just let them sleep through the whole transition phase, and then slowly wake them up and they'll be able to adjust? Discomfort boils in his gut because he knows this all sounds too idealistic for a man like Bondrewd to execute without some sort of caveat, but ...
He'd been so immersed in thought that he'd barely even felt the hand coming to clasp at his shoulder. Gen glances at it with a start when he realizes it's there, frowning but deciding to ignore it for the moment; he's having a hard enough time just focusing on what Bondrewd is saying without wasting energy on addressing what he's doing. ]
They gotta be able to go back to how they were. Exactly. [ Maybe it's stupid, but he ultimately goes along with what Bondrewd is saying. He's used to accepting shit deals in hopes that they work out, after all; he rarely has better options available. All he can do is grit out these paltry demands, trying to wrestle away some control of the situation. ] If you're just gonna stick'em in a permanent coma 'cause that's how they won't get Discord, then they might as well be dead. And --
[ A nervous pause. A hard exhale. Then, spat out in one go: ]
And I want proof. I wanna know they're not gonna be put through hell, and that they're gonna be fine afterwards.
[ He's not planning on sticking around long after a Zenith victory, after all; like hell he's going to wait around for people to slowly wake up and acclimate, or whatever. He wants proof now, so he can exit the scene as soon as possible. ]
I'll keep helping you as long as you can gimme that.
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no subject
I'm not emotionally impacted. [ He lies, each word spat out at a disdainful snarl to better mask the fact that he is, indeed, (unreasonably) emotionally impacted. ] And I ain't answering your stupid survey question.
[ As if he could even put into words how he feels about Link. He knows whatever feelings he has for that little Meridian twink are entirely unreasonable and tainted by how badly he'd been affected by something to do with Link's Discord, back at Xanadu. But even so -- those feelings, foolish as they are, are hard to entirely dismiss. And he doesn't want to think about it.
If Link's shard is with Aetos, then he's already too late. Would it have made a difference if he'd come here sooner? Or was it too late the moment he let himself get knocked out during that fight? Did Bondrewd immediately whisk the shard away, to god-knows-where? It's a deeply frustrating line of thought, and Gen gives a hard click of the tongue before turning his ire to Bondrewd. ]
-- that wasn't how you said it'd be.
[ Sharp and accusatory. He's never forgotten the distant goal Bondrewd had enticed him with, after all. ]
You said all that shit about giving Meridians a form that'd help'em survive no matter what. So what the hell was that? Have you just been bullshitting me this whole time? Give me one good reason why I should still believe in anything you say!
no subject
[ Gen's question is fair, and his accusation rolls across Bondrewd's shoulders without striking at any vulnerable spot within him. He cannot be enticed to ire or hostility, and instead looks upon the defensive cant of Gen's ears and the furrow between his brow with studious attention. He is affected, emotionally. There is enough within him that has been drawn to Link, and again, he is glad that the little Hylian has returned to bear witness to that which will save all Shard-bearers — their ability to care, beyond Faction. ]
I did not clarify how it was meant to be, Mister Minegishi. The expectation of experimentation is that we observe what comes of a controlled set-up and prepare according to the observed results. Knowing now that Discord results in such an outcome — one where the Shard-bearer fights their own 'self', means much more than one might think.
[ He explains it even-toned, his hands gesturing to a seat nearby, as if inviting Gen to sit down and make himself comfortable. As if their conversation is nothing more than a class, or a casual conversation. His tail thrashes, bumping briefly against the doorway as he heaves himself through and bends to begin picking up his scattered notes. ]
For instance, it is something we were not aware of. Now that we are, imagine the uses it could have for Zenith — to force our Discord into Meridians during Oracle battles and pressure them into returning to their own, disruptive and ruinous of their environments. While Meridian is busy dealing with the danger, we handle the challenge laid before us by the Oracle.
[ That's just practical. ]
As for the situation regarding Meridian forms for the Zenite future, we now know that Shard-bearers are placed in extreme distress at the heights of Discord. Ergo, we must develop a plan that keeps Meridian-aligned Shard-bearers from reaching such a height after our victory. They will clearly be pained and stressed, and likely their Discord will overwhelm them at their loss. Do you understand? We now know what it looks like, to both be without Meridian in our future and to not be attentive to their pain.
no subject
Bondrewd is right, for the most part. He has no good rebuke to give.
It's true that a weaponized injection of Discord really would make the fight for the Oracle's favor easy -- what resistance would Meridian be able to put up if they were all busy losing their minds to Discord, or distracted trying to deal with their uncontrollable allies? Or stressed from putting them out of their misery? ]
... it's not like that's gonna be easy. Forcing our Discord into them. [ So he says, but Gen's gaze is cast off to the side as he wracks his brains, trying to think of a better retort. -- Bondrewd must be the one who made Link like that in the first place, right? How easy had that been for him? This line of questioning probably won't accomplish anything. Though he isn't aware of it, Gen's canine ears slowly cant backwards as discomfort boils in his gut. ] And you say this shit like it's going to be easy -- stopping them from getting Discord.
[ It's telling, though, that Gen's words falter even as he tries to grit out that rebuke. And how can he help it? What Bondrewd says something reasonable. Weaponizing Discord against the Meridians would make for easier victories in the upcoming battles and ensue Zenith wins this war. And if Meridians -- his Meridians, the ones he cares about, because he couldn't give half a shit about the others -- could be immunized against an influx of Discord, then wouldn't that be ideal? That would keep them safe, right? He can't find any holes in what Bondrewd is saying.
Gen bites his lip, hard, before abruptly jerking forth a half-step, bootsole stomping loudly against the floor as he closes the distance between them by that small amount. Still trying to establish his position and retain some level of control over this situation, even when he knows he doesn't have much ground to stand. ]
-- you better not be thinking of some bullshit like just putting'em in a coma so they can't get stressed. [ He's seen how Bondrewd treats his guinea pigs. Gen is hardly a softie for some random rodents, but he's also not immune to the gut-churning thought of them being brutalized in the name of science. ] You said you're looking for a way to keep'em safe. I'm only cooperating with you so long as you remember that.
no subject
[ He asks of Gen, curious and interested in the young man's perspective.
Discord, to some, is karma. To others, it is the schism between needs and wants, choices for themselves that might betray the innate values of the Faction energies that empower and overwrite such things. Bondrewd does take a seat, in a way — leaning himself along the line of the wall with a tilt to his head that places the full of his attention upon Gen's person. He sounds angry, but not in a way that suggests pure hostility. It is why Bondrewd is able to reach out when Gen drives forward and closes the distance.
Why he can rest a heavy hand upon the young man's shoulder, distantly companionable. Understanding, even though he clearly lacks empathy of any kind — a known quality to many, by now. Once he has listened to Gen, he speaks again. ]
Meridian-aligned Shard-bearers will have difficulty coping with the loss of their world, and the creation of ours. They will take it personally, so it is our responsibility to ease their transition. We can do so in many ways. Transforming their forms to harmless ones, drugging them to make them compliant, placing them in a dreaming state to induce comfort and give them the time they need... anything to slowly introduce them to the way of things. We have powers, as well. Illusions and such.
[ Putting them in a coma is one of those options. ]
I believe they can be made to accept our victory, if we care for them. Perhaps letting them know that they can depend on us to forgive them is the first step to easing their turmoil?
no subject
But now, he tries, and the way he struggles to wrap his head around the matter well enough to put up a good argument.
This ... feels too neat, after all. The way Bondrewd puts it, it all feels too neat and clean. Just let them sleep through the whole transition phase, and then slowly wake them up and they'll be able to adjust? Discomfort boils in his gut because he knows this all sounds too idealistic for a man like Bondrewd to execute without some sort of caveat, but ...
He'd been so immersed in thought that he'd barely even felt the hand coming to clasp at his shoulder. Gen glances at it with a start when he realizes it's there, frowning but deciding to ignore it for the moment; he's having a hard enough time just focusing on what Bondrewd is saying without wasting energy on addressing what he's doing. ]
They gotta be able to go back to how they were. Exactly. [ Maybe it's stupid, but he ultimately goes along with what Bondrewd is saying. He's used to accepting shit deals in hopes that they work out, after all; he rarely has better options available. All he can do is grit out these paltry demands, trying to wrestle away some control of the situation. ] If you're just gonna stick'em in a permanent coma 'cause that's how they won't get Discord, then they might as well be dead. And --
[ A nervous pause. A hard exhale. Then, spat out in one go: ]
And I want proof. I wanna know they're not gonna be put through hell, and that they're gonna be fine afterwards.
[ He's not planning on sticking around long after a Zenith victory, after all; like hell he's going to wait around for people to slowly wake up and acclimate, or whatever. He wants proof now, so he can exit the scene as soon as possible. ]
I'll keep helping you as long as you can gimme that.